Do-or-die time

April 20, 2010by trib

There is tension in Ottawa, where the Senators know the stakes are high tonight for Game 4 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal with the Penguins. Ottawa trails, 2-1. With a loss tonight, the Senators will return to Mellon Arena facing elimination in the best-of-seven series.
Trib beat writer Rob Rossi says the Penguins defenseman are making a sacrificein this series.
A big storyline is the lack of shooting, let alone scoring, by Senators stars Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza, which is magnifying a mismatch with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Its defensive plan designed to contain Crosby isn’t working, so Ottawa ought to shadow Sid.
And Crosby isn’t listening to criticism from Don Cherry.
Playoff teams take on the personality of their coach and Jason York – who played with Dan Bylsma – said despite being a slow skater with a bad shot and hands of a bricklayer, the Penguins coach had heart and that trumps everything else.
Ottawa Sun columnist Bruce Garrioch wonders if Senators goaltender Brian Elliott can save the series.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Senators are considering using former 50-goal scorer Jonathan Cheechoo to find an offensive spark.
But the play of rookie Peter Regin gives the Senators hope for the future.